Statement from the Archbishop on the Death of Pope Francis.

A pious practice which has fallen out of use is the greeting among Christians, which we should all do all the time this time of year: “The Lord is Risen!” Our response to that is to say, “The Lord is truly Risen!”

Today we turn our hearts and minds once again to the suffering and death of Jesus Christ as we enter Passion Tide. That suffering won for all mankind the definitive victory over sin and hopelessness. But the question that keeps coming back to me year after year is this: God is all-powerful. He could have chosen to save us from sin in many other ways. Why did he choose to do it by suffering? What is the meaning of the Passion?